Transfer Durak: rules and tricky situations explained

Transfer Durak is the most popular variant of classic Durak. There's just one key difference, but it turns the whole game upside down: instead of beating the attack, the defender may "transfer" it to the next player by adding a card of the same rank. This move is what constantly sparks tricky situations at the table — and that's exactly what we'll break down with clear examples. In every diagram below, the trump suit is spades (♠).

The rules of Transfer Durak in a minute

Deck and deal. The game uses a 36-card deck, and each player is dealt 6 cards. The bottom card of the deck is turned face up — its suit becomes the trump. The player holding the lowest trump goes first.
Attack and defence. The attacker plays a card, and the defender beats it with a higher card of the same suit or with any trump.
Adding cards. After the first card is beaten, opponents may add cards only of ranks already on the table — as long as the defender still has cards to beat them.
Drawing and the finish. After a round, players draw from the deck back up to six cards (the attacker first). The last player left holding cards loses — that player is the "durak" (fool).

7♦→9♦or2♠

Beating: the 7♦ attack is beaten by a higher card of the same suit (9♦) or by any trump (2♠). In the diagrams the trump has a gold frame.

The transfer — the key move

A transfer is passing the attack to the next player with a card of the same rank. Someone attacks you with a six — you add your own six, and now the next player has to defend, and against two cards at once. Meanwhile your cards stay in your hand.

6♦+6♣→to the next player

Basic transfer: to the 6♦ attack we add our 6♣ — now the next player defends against two sixes.

You can also transfer with a trump of the same rank — this is a "trump transfer". It's a sharp move: you both pass the attack along and discard a trump. But it's usually better to save the trump for defence in the endgame.

8♥+8♠→to the next player

Trump transfer: we transfer the 8♥ attack with the trump 8♠. The rank matches — the transfer goes through.

When you can't transfer

Two restrictions settle most arguments at the table.

7♦→9♦+7♣✕

Already beaten — no more transfers: having beaten 7♦ with 9♦, you can no longer answer the added 7♣ with a transfer, only beat it or take.

1. You've already beaten a card

As soon as you've beaten at least one card in this round, transfers are closed — from then on you can only defend or take.

2. The next player has few cards

You can't transfer if that would leave more cards on the table than the next player holds in hand: they'd have nothing left to beat them with.

A chain of transfers

Transfers can keep going around the table: if the next player in turn has a card of the same rank and hasn't beaten anything yet — they transfer too. The attack can travel all the way around the table and come back to whoever started it.

5♦→5♣→5♥→4th player beats three 5s

The chain: player A leads 5♦, B transfers with 5♣, C with 5♥, and the fourth player now defends against three fives at once.

A round explained: a step-by-step example

Let's put it all together in a short example. The trump is spades (♠), and three players are at the table: Alice, Bob and Carol.

Move 1. Alice attacks Bob with the seven of diamonds (7♦).
Move 2. Bob has the seven of clubs — he transfers the attack to Carol: there are now two sevens on the table (7♦ and 7♣), and Carol has to defend.
Move 3. Carol has no sevens, but she does have the trump 2♠ and the 8♦. She beats them: 7♦ with the 8♦, and 7♣ with the trump 2♠. No further transfer is possible — Carol is already defending.
Result. Carol has beaten everything, the cards go to the discard pile, and she leads next. Had she failed to beat both sevens, she would have taken all four cards from the table.

7♦+7♣→8♦+2♠

The example's resolution: Carol beats 7♦ with the eight of diamonds, and the transferred 7♣ with the trump two.

Turn order and drawing cards

People argue about the turn and draw order almost as often as about the transfer itself. Let's lay it all out.

Who goes first. The first move of the game belongs to the player holding the lowest trump. After that, whoever defended or took in the previous round attacks (see below).
Who goes after a round. If the defender beat everything — they attack next. If they took the cards — they skip the turn, and the player to their left attacks.
Draw order. After a round everyone draws from the deck back up to six cards. The player who led (the main attacker) draws first, then clockwise, and the defender draws last. That's why the last card of the deck (and the face-up trump) most often goes to the player who defended or to whoever draws last.
How many cards in an attack. Under the classic rules, the first round is attacked with no more than five cards, and after that up to six. The overall limit is always the same: there can't be more cards on the table than the defender holds in hand.

Frequently asked questions and tricky situations

Here's what players most often look up and argue about at the table.

Can the first round be transferred?

The rules disagree here. In the classic, "backyard" version the first round cannot be transferred — transfers are available only from the second round on. But in many online versions, including muta.pro, the first round can be transferred just like any other, with no round-based restriction. Agree on this before the game or check the rules of the specific game.

Who goes next after a transfer?

After a transfer, the player it was transferred to has to defend. If they beat all the cards — they start the next round themselves (the one who was transferred to and defended leads). If they took the cards — the turn passes to the player on their left, and the one who took the round is skipped.

Who takes the cards if no one beats them in the end?

All the cards on the table go to the player who defended last and failed to beat them. Previously transferred cards go to that player too — a transfer doesn't "return" them to their former owners.

Can you transfer with a trump?

Yes, as long as it's a card of the same rank as one on the table. A "trump transfer" both passes the attack along and discards a trump. In some versions it's enough to show a trump of the right rank without placing it on the table; in most rules the card is still played. Check the specific game.

Can a trump card be transferred twice?

There's no restriction specifically on "twice": a transfer is possible as long as the next player in turn has a card of the right rank and hasn't beaten anything yet. But each trump can be used only once — once you play it, you lose it.

Can you add just one card at the start of a round?

Yes. An attack always starts with a single card of any rank. You can add several cards only of ranks that have already appeared on the table.

Can you add a second card so the next player can't transfer?

No. As long as the defender hasn't started beating cards, they can transfer the attack with any matching card, no matter how many cards you've put down. The only thing that stops a transfer is the next player not having the right rank.

Can you add cards after your opponent has taken them?

As long as they haven't yet picked the cards up off the table — yes, you can add cards of ranks already lying there (within the limit). Once the cards are in their hand — the round is over, and there's nowhere left to add them.

What is "adding on the chase"?

It's adding cards after the defender has already started beating them — as long as they still have enough cards in hand to beat. You can only add ranks that are already on the table.

How do you play Transfer Durak head-to-head?

The rules are the same, but a transfer passes the attack back to your opponent — there are no other players. Head-to-head is the most tactical version: a transfer easily comes right back to you, so players transfer less often and more precisely. After a transfer head-to-head your opponent defends; if they beat it — they lead, if they take — you lead again.

Can you transfer several times in a row?

Yes — a chain of transfers is unlimited, as long as the next player in turn has a card of the right rank and hasn't beaten anything yet. The attack can travel all the way around the table.

What's the draw order, and who gets the last card of the deck?

After a round players draw back up to six cards: the attacker first, the defender last. That's why the last card of the deck and the face-up trump beneath it most often go to whoever draws last — usually the player who defended.

What's the maximum number of cards on the table?

No more than the defender holds in hand: at most six at the start of the game. This same limit caps both the length of a transfer chain and the adding of cards.

Tactics: when to transfer and when to beat

Transfer to shed dead weight. A transfer is a way to offload an "awkward" low card without spending trumps on defence.
Don't transfer blindly. If the next player has plenty of cards, a transfer only inflates the attack, and defending it becomes harder for whoever's next — sometimes you again.
Save your trumps. A trump transfer looks impressive, but it's usually better to keep the trump for defence in the endgame.
Count your opponents' cards. A transfer is only possible if the next player has enough cards — by their hand size you can predict whether they'll beat the attack or take it.

Play Transfer Durak online

Now that you've got the rules and the tricky moments down, lock them in with a game. On muta.pro you can play Transfer Durak online for free — head-to-head with a friend by room code, in a group, or against a bot. The full reference with move-by-move analysis is on the Transfer Durak rules page, and the terms from this article are in the glossary of game terms.